The earliest part of Earth’s history is called the -
A. Cenozoic
B. Cambrian
C. Holocene
D. Precambrian

Determining the order of events and the relative age of
rocks by examining the position of rocks in a sequence is called __________.
A. absolute dating
B. relative dating
C. radiometric dating
D. relative carbon dating

Which of the following is least likely to become fossilized?
A. bones
B. teeth
C. skin
D. shells

Fossils and rocks that are similar are found in Asia and
Africa. This provides evidence of what?

A. Fossil Record
B. Law of Superposition
C. Continental Drift
D. Rock Cycle

Radioactive dating is used to find
A. the locations of index fossils.
B. the identities of index fossils.
C. the absolute ages of rocks and fossils.
D. the relative ages of rocks and fossils.

Geologic time is divided best into units based on
________.
A. geologic changes
B. fossils and rocks
C. types of life forms living during certain periods
D. types of trilobites

Trilobite that lived for a short period of time and were abundant is an example of a(n) _________.

A. index fossil
B. trace fossil
C. permineralized remain
D. original remain

To learn how Earth’s atmosphere has changed over time scientists study air bubbles in which of the following?
A. ice cores
B. pollen
C. rocks containing uranium
D. fossils in sedimentary rock

Which division of the geologic time scale is the longest?
A. eon
B. period
C. era
D. epoch

With ________ dating, a rock’s exact age can be determined, whereas with ________ dating, a rock’s age is compared to the ages of other rocks.
A. absolute, relative
B. relative, absolute
C. true, absolute
D. relative, approximate

The half-life of Carbon-14 is 5730 years. How much parent material would be left after 5730 years?
A. 100%
B. 75%
C. 50%
D. 25%

A scientist wants to find the absolute, or actual age of a
rock. Which of these is the scientist most likely to use?

A. radioactive dating
B. the law of superposition
C. the geologic time scale
D. ice cores

Which of these groups of animals appeared on Earth
most recently?
A. reptiles
B. amphibians
C. mammals
D. fish

Trilobites can be used to study the passage of geologic
time because __________.
A. they burrow into sediments
B. they lived in the oceans
C. they lived throughout the Paleozoic Era
D. their physical features changed through time

A layer of marine fossils is discovered in a desert
environment. Which hypothesis best explains the
Discovery?
A. The area was once covered by water.
B. Volcanic activity once occurred in the area.
C. A catastrophic event once occurred in the area.
D. Erosion turned most of the limestone in the area into
sand.

Which of the following list the divisions of the geologic
time scale from the longest to shortest?
A. epoch, eon, era, period
B. period, epoch, eon, era
C. eon, era, period, epoch
D. era, eon, period, epoch

All of the following conditions help preserve organisms as fossils EXCEPT __________.

A. quick burial by sediments
B. protection from scavengers
C. hard parts
D. activities of microorganisms

The type of Earth material most likely to contain fossils is ____________.
A. igneous rock
B. metamorphic rock
C. sedimentary rock
D. native material

Shark and coral fossils are found in the rock record of
certain land areas. What does the presence of these
fossils indicate about those areas?

A. They have undergone glacial deposition.
B. They were once covered by thick vegetation.
C. They have undergone intense metamorphism.
D. They were once covered by shallow seas.

Ice cores are best described as being important to the study of geologic history because:
A. they follow the Law of Superposition, which gives reasons for extinction of species
B. they hold index fossils, which are used to date the
different ice cores.
C. they show unconformities, which signal changes in deposition
D. they contain evidence showing changes in the atmospheric composition over time.